Sunday, September 18, 2011

A Compass for Life

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." ~Isaiah 30:21

Have you ever thought about how the clock controls our lives?I read once that time is a gift from God, because we can’t handle life without the increments of time.Instead of it being a gift, it seems to dictate our every move.What about our direction?Where are we going in such a hurry?Can the clock help with our direction?

A clock is a complex instrument that measures time.It tells us the immediate present.It cannot give us time and cannot create time.It can only measure time; right now.It reminds us that we are out of time or how much time has passed.It informs us of time that we no longer have or the amount of time left before our next engagement.In our modern society, the clock is an instrument of stress.It controls when we wake, how fast we go, how hard we strive, how long or short our day is, and dictates our schedule as it changes our priorities.

There is a cry for simplicity in our world today.We seem to be lost in the dark, lost in the fog, lost in the sea of busyness and overwhelmed by the distractions of a blinking electronic world.The clock seems to contribute to the chaos.It reminds us to get moving in a direction, but it doesn’t help us find our way.

A compass is a very simple instrument.Its purpose is to provide direction.By always pointing north, the compass allows us to establish a sense of direction.A compass can always help establish a course, a direction that we can trust even if we don’t know our current location.The compass provides a certainty in times of uncertainty.Because it points us in the right direction, it gives us a sense of comfort.

Our challenge is to cut through the distractions, the sea of busyness and to navigate life with a purpose, a direction.We need a compass.

The Bible can be considered a compass. Its basic purpose is to always point you in the direction of God.When we are confused and disoriented, when we are not sure where we are going, the Bible focuses us on Jesus Christ.Jesus Christ is like the compass needle that always points us to God.Throughout the Bible, one essential responsibility of all people in all the ages has been the same: find God and move toward Him.

A clock runs down.Time runs out.When we meet God, there will be no clock.He is not controlled by time.Time will be no more.Yes, time is a gift he gives to mortal man.It is a gift, but it is not our direction.

Do you have a direction for your life?If your life follows the same course it is on right now, where are you going?Are you living by the clock racing to your next appointment, but unsure of the direction you are going?Does the clock feel more like a burden than a gift?

Lord, I pray that your Word will always be my daily compass, as I navigate my way through life.Help me to not be controlled by the clock, but to see time as a precious gift that You have given.May I use my time wisely and may I always stay the course.Amen

While learning how to read a compass with my children, I researced different facts about a compass. So much of that research led to this devotion.

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Seeker of Truth; married to Rob on a journey to the cross; mom to three amazing children who teach me more about life than I do them; blogger; recreational photographer; writer; designer wannabe; student of the world with a wanderlust appetite to travel and see it; grateful...always.